mercy mercy me

The debut of a lucid, lusty new voice in American poetry. Honesty is her trademark, tempered by the rolling music of her voice. This book unveils the story of a vigorous soul’s journey in and out of love. Whether her speaker is buying lunch at a falafel stand or bumping into the ghost of Marvin Gaye in a supermarket, Georgiou’s zesty clarity prevails, sweetened by her impeccable ear and fired, as it always is, by her burning heart. A Cypriot by way of London, now happily a New Yorker, Georgiou fearlessly tackles the raw hungers of friendship and romance with a poetry of rare independence and vulnerability, sass, and sophistication.

— Molly Peacock

This girl rocks the poetry boat.

— Gerry Gomez Pearlberg

Recent Posts

I am honored that The Immigrant’s Refrigerator is included in Barbara Hoffert’s article, “The Art of the Short Story: 16 New Collections Reveal the Best of a Flourishing Genre,” at Library Journal. Hoffert writes: A Lambda Literary Award–winning poet, Georgiou portrays immigrants to America, both legal and illegal, in heartfelt, no-nonsense prose. . . . It’s indeed […]

I am grateful to Nancy Hightower for a wonderful interview at Epiphany Magazine. Here’s Nancy’s introduction to the interview: Given that the term “immigrant” is now so often malignantly deployed in political rhetoric, there is no better time to read Elena Georgiou’s collection The Immigrant’s Refrigerator, which explores boundaries—both physical and emotional—and how they shape individual’s identity […]

Many thanks to Danielle Susi, who interviewed me for her column at Entropy Magazine: “Dinnerview.” Among other things, Danielle asked what the light looks like during my favorite meal of the day: Bright sun, shining on my face, forearms, and hands. After a life of city living, I now live in a rural place—a cottage, just feet away […]

“The Evolution of Beauty,” a short story from my new book, The Immigrant’s Refrigerator, is featured at the lovely young magazine Cagibi. An excerpt: When the stripper arrived at the lesbian “bachelor” party, I felt like I was in one of those dreams where someone opens the bathroom door and catches you peeing. The only […]

I’m grateful for the thoughtful and generous review of The Immigrant’s Refrigerator by Kathy Sexton, for the American Library Association’s Booklist. Although immigrants aren’t the sole characters in Georgiou’s collection, they are the thread that binds its 12 quiet, yet powerful stories. Many are fleeing violence, like the Irish writer in the title story who’s […]